The New York Yankees made another trade on Wednesday afternoon, acquiring relief pitcher Angel Chivilli from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for infield prospect T.J. Rumfield.
At first glance, Chivilli’s numbers don’t jump off the page. In 2025, Chivilli posted a 7.06 ERA in 58 2/3 innings, struggling with his command while generating very few strikeouts. This led to him posting a 7.3 K-BB%, well below the National League average of 13.6%. He was slightly better the year before, compiling a 4.55 ERA in 30 relief appearances. His strikeout rate of 21.1% was also much closer to the NL average of 22.4%.
It’s easy to chalk up this poor performance to Coors Field, the most hitter-friendly park in MLB. However, his road numbers hardly differed from his home numbers. For example, in 2025, Chivilli posted a 7.24 ERA at home. On the road, however, he posted a 6.84 ERA.
Still, while his performance through two major league seasons hasn’t been great, Chivilli has several underlying metrics that grab your attention. He’s far from a finished product, but with the help of Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake, he can contribute in 2026.
Angel Chivilli Throws Very Hard
Embed from Getty Images
Few players threw the ball harder in 2025 than Chivilli. His average fastball velocity of 97.1 MPH ranked in the 88th percentile, as the average for right-handed pitchers was 95.0. In addition to his fastball, Chivilli’s changeup and slider also generated high velocities of 88.7 MPH and 90.2 MPH, respectively.
He Generates Ground Balls and Whiffs
Embed from Getty Images
Nothing matters more at Coors Field than keeping the ball on the ground, and that’s exactly what Chivilli did in 2025. His 49.8% ground-ball rate ranked in the 84th percentile, though he still gave up 13 home runs. Chivilli also had great swing and miss stuff in 2025, generating a 29.7% whiff rate that ranked in the 80th percentile.
Chivilli’s Place in the Rotation
Embed from Getty Images
The Yankees’ relief corps has undergone a lot of change this offseason, with Mark Leiter Jr., Ian Hamilton, Luke Weaver, and Devin Williams all departing. This means Chivilli will have a golden opportunity to prove his worth and contribute out of the bullpen in 2026.
Chivilli is very similar to teammate Camilo Doval, as the latter generated an average fastball velocity of 96.6 MPH, a ground-ball rate of 53.6%, and a whiff rate of 28.4% in 2025. The two pitchers consistently struggle with command, further highlighting their similarities. However, Doval’s numbers are much better than Civilli’s, something the Yankees are hoping to change.
More New York Yankees Articles
More MLB Articles
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
- Category
-
New York Yankees
